New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-05-11

a PROVENCE ROSE.
'Tha Story Of Mistake Which Wrecked Three
Lives. =
Helen w. Pierson in the Popular Monthly.
stWhere have seen her before?"
Thought Vance Erskine, as he pressed
4 forward in the crowd. There was
standing room only"
He had wandered into the music
hall after a long, dull day in the bank,
spent in puzzling his brain over &C
counts. He felt a sudden longing for
anew experiences passionate i'm
pulse to break through restr Amt
that had more than once led him in
to thorny ways and perilous paths,
from which he had been glad to come
back TO a safe conventionality once
more.
There was a young girl singing an
italian song. She was clad in a SIM
pie white gown, and there was a white
rose In her dusky hair. Her soft, dark
eyes we're full of unconscious yearn-
ing She did not see the audience, ap.
parently, but looked away to some
haunting scene. The tender grace of
day that was dead embodied her. Err.
>skine seemed to follow thatgaze. His
imagination kindled again This is
what he saw: A rose garden in fair
Provence, that land ofsong and story
4 white mist was curling upward from
ut under the sunshine; like a curtain it
was lifted, and the fairest scene Err
skine had ever looked upon was
stretched out before his eager eyes.
a wilderness of roses-that was all!
Impossible to describe the riot OF col
or, the wealth of incense. There was
g. gray castle in the distance; but
Erskine did not look at that. Neither
did his glance dwell long on the flow
ers, for there was a young girl there
SCATTERING them, and his eyes met those
other eyes, soft and dark, tender as a
Southern night, and rested there.
There was tender reserve, almost
sadness, in the face, and the flush on
the cheeks was not deeper than that
OF the blush rose she held in her hand.
Erskine was not an artist, he was on
Hy a bank clerk on holiday; but that
picture was photographed on his soul.
She stood by mossgrown fountain,
where a wingless dragon spouted up a
yfr n he,
; of naaiden hair. Huge cypress trees
stood in the background; but in the
illuminated space among the flowers
was this gracious figure in a dull-blue
gown, that defined the soft curves and
grounded outlines.
What irony OF fate had transplant
led her from the wilderness ofroses to a
London music-hall? He felt at once
an imperative need OF knowing the
story.
The voice scared up like lark to
meet the sunbeam. A storm of APP
tplause followed, and the young girl
seemed suddenly recalled to the pres
lent She glanced about timidly and
Bowed slightly. There were no smirks
or bold glances. She glided away
quietly, and the encore did not bring
ther back.
Vance cast one glance at the glitter
ing blonde who followed and then he
rushed out of the hall He astonish-
ed the nearest florist by emptying his
purse-not to we'll flled-for roses.
Dark, velvety Jacqueminots and
.cream-white blossoms, mingled with
other pink as girls blush. in his hur-
tzied grasp.
4Ah, hallo!" said a voice near him,
zas he paused at the stage entrance,
wondering vaguely as to what should
he his next step. s'Why, Vance, my
boy, are you a captive in her train
too?"
s.Oh, get out! answered Vance. i'm
patiently, looking around at a, pom
pous-looking Individual with heavy.
rubicund visage and scant hair. He
was a man of As, and an authority
son Change, but he had by no means
laid aside the follies of youth.
.Bah-howers," said Mr.. Zachary
Sheldon, looking at the roses; "they
would like diamonds better =
<tConle," said Vance, fercely, as
stonished at the sudden fire in his
heart, mo sneers, I'm not in the mooc
for Them
well, we won't quarrel, 2 said Shell
don, with mirthful laugh. 20
course it's the blonde Lillian
Anunconscious feeling OF relief came
into Vance's heart.
The other one is a -Rosalia
beautiful Rosalia. She's a flower, {
sunbeam-no, too pale for SUNBEAM
silver moonbeam. She says
At these word Vance regretted hi
bad humor. This man could help him
lie knew the Italian nightingale.
81 say Sheldon, excuse my reughness
somebody. stepped on nv corn Jus